Always Got Your Back
by PharaohsThrone
Summary: On their first mission outside the walls with the new recruits, Yusei and Atem run into some trouble when they are separated from the rest of their squad. What follows however is going to bring them closer than they've ever been. Synchroshipping one shot.


_**A/N: So I suddenly got the inspiration to write a synchroshipping fic in the world of snk. I apologise now because my action writing is terrible, but hopefully the fluff will make up for that. So uh, yeah it was written at 2 in the morning and I'm probably going to look at it later and go "why did i write that sentence?!" but yeah. Enjoy!**_

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The forest of giant trees was eerily silent as the small group of recon corps rode through on their horses, staying on high alert as they moved along in their course. The trees were so incredibly tall that they blocked almost all of the sunlight, bar a few small spots where it filtered in between the leaves, creating intricate shapes on the path below. The only sound they could hear was the steady thumps of horse hooves on the ground, as they moved forwards at a swift pace, in a tight and well constructed formation.

Leading the group was squad leader Seto Kaiba. Years of experience and heartache brought him to this position, which was what gave him his stone-cold attitude. Only few in the group knew of the fate that had fallen on his previous squad, and now he was determined to make sure the group behind him did not suffer the same, should chaos break out.

Riding on Seto's left and right flanks were Atem Sennen and Yusei Fudo. Having previously belonged to another squad in the scouting legion, they too had a fair amount of experience outside the walls. There was no doubt that every person there-bar the new recruits in the middle-had seen their friends torn to pieces by the titans, and knew all that was at stake in this mission. They had done it many times before.

Right behind Atem and Yusei were the new recruits, on their first mission outside the walls since graduating from the cadets. They had only 3 newbies with them; Tristan Taylor and Duke Devlin riding beside each other, and then Joey Wheeler directly behind them. The new cadets were situated right in the middle of the formation, so as to let the more experienced soldiers deal with any unexpected visitors.

These soldiers would be Jaden Yuki and Zane Truesdale, who were riding on the outside of the newcomers, while Jack Atlas and Crow Hogan rounded up the back, a formation that Seto believed was the strongest in this particular squad. Each person in the group had someone they worked best with, and this formation utilized that, while still keeping the new recruits as far away from the action as possible.

So far, the mission was going smoothly, but nobody was game enough to voice such thoughts with the fear that it could all be thrown apart in a split second. The three people who knew this all to well were right at the front, riding silently as wind flew past, blowing their green cloaks out behind them. Atem and Yusei had been on the mission where Seto's squad had been torn apart, only they had been a few miles away when it happened, a part of a different squad who were much more lucky that day. They always knew that Seto had been a hard ass with a rock solid attitude, but since that mission he seemed to be even more withdrawn and stone cold than he used to be. Then again, they couldn't blame him, and if anything, he was a better fighter now than he ever was, so why complain?

The soldiers had their 3D maneuver gear strapped to their hips, and as Atem rode along he had his right hand rested on the opposite sword, always on alert for the slightest disturbance in the woods. Yusei was just as careful as his eyes scanned the surrounding area, before glancing over to his comrade beside him, and idly wondering how many more missions they would go on together before one of them was left to ride alone. He quickly shook his head and looked straight ahead once more. Now was not the time to be thinking such morbid things, he had to have his mind set on the task at hand. Yusei suddenly snapped back to attention when one of the men behind him started shouting.

"A titan!" Zane announced, "Approaching on the left!" Atem and Yusei turned to look at the man in front of them, waiting for some sort of command, but he stayed silent. Then more cries came from behind.

"There's two more catching up behind!" Jack shouted, "Abberants, what's your call, Captain Seto?" Everyone turned to the front, waiting for his answer as he rode along, completely silent.

"Alright!" Joey cheered from the middle, "Let me at em! I'll show those titans who's boss!" Tristan told his friend to politely shut up, before Jaden spoke up from the right.

"Hey, if anyone gets a go at em, it's gonna be me!" he announced. "Nobody can top my sweet moves!" He grinned as they rode along, and the threat closed in on the left and behind them, while the group still hadn't received an order.

"Jaden, this isn't a game," Yusei huffed over his shoulder. He then turned back to talk to Seto, "Captain, they're closing in, what's your call?"

Seto stayed silent for a moment as the titans shrieked behind them, and finally, he spoke over his shoulder, "That path that branches off on the right, we're taking that. Just keep riding."

"But they're right behind us!" Crow shrieked from the back.

"Then ride faster," Seto grunted, speeding on ahead as the group followed, veering right on their path to a narrower track. Jack looked over his shoulder and saw that now all three titans were pursuing them from behind, and when he turned back around, Jaden was waving his arms around because he had spotted another one on the right. Yusei turned and saw the ten metre class barging towards them, before he heard Atem speak from beside him.

"It's a party," he joked, nodding his head forwards. Yusei then turned and noticed another ten metre class coming towards them head on, making it a total of five titans currently pursuing.

"Perhaps now is the time to switch to our maneuver gear?" Zane asked, looking around at the titans that were grinning maniacally as they chased the group of survey corps.

Seto let out an exasperated sigh, "And I was hoping I wouldn't have to get off my horse today," he groaned. "Alright, switch to maneuver gear!" he announced. "Split off and eliminate the immediate threat, then we'll regroup in the east, but wait for my signal. Go!"

In the next moment, all ten members of the squad flew into the air, raising their swords high as they swung through the trees in the split groups they had been previously assigned to. Atem and Yusei sprung off to the right to deal with the ten metre class, while Seto continued forwards to dispatch the titan barging down the path in front. The rest of the squad should have fallen behind so that Zane, Jaden, Jack and Crow could kill the three titans behind them, all while keeping an eye on Joey, Tristan and Duke.

As Atem and Yusei swung through the trees towards their target, they didn't even need to speak to each other, as they had fought together so many times before it was now natural to them. With a swift nod to one another, Yusei swung out in front of the titan, momentarily distracting it so that Atem could get around the back, before slicing at its ankles so that it fell to the ground for a just a moment, but that was all they needed. Then, before it had the chance to regenerate and get back up, Atem was spiraling towards the back of it's neck, slicing away at the flesh with brutal precision. As Atem stood victorious on the now deceased titan's head, Yusei swung in for just enough time to fist bump his comrade, before they took to the trees once more.

"I still got it," Atem boasted, attempting to shake the blood from his sword.

"You?" Yusei joked, "That move was all me, I should get credit for that kill."

Atem laughed, "As I recall, it was my sword that silenced him, and therefore I get the credit." Yusei pretended to roll his eyes as they landed on a high tree branch, looking around to see if their comrades were also successful.

"Fine, next time it's my turn," he demanded.

Atem shrugged, "Whatever you say, buddy." Yusei turned to glare at his friend, before another commotion caught their attention. It seemed that the back line had successfully dispatched the three titans from behind, but they had caught sight of a fifteen metre class sneaking up on the right, and Joey had instantly launched forwards to try and kill it on his own. Jaden, Duke and Crow were calling out to him to let the experienced men deal with the titan, but Joey was too fired up and excited to let someone else get this kill. Just as Atem and Yusei noticed the commotion, Joey had been swinging towards the fifteen metre class with his sword raised, and the titan snapped at him with its teeth. He shrieked and only narrowly missed being chomped to pieces as he spun out of control and smashed into a tree.

Atem and Yusei instantly sprung into action, being much closer to the titan than the rest of their squad. They raced over to Joey, but by the time they were even close, he had already been snatched up by the titan, and they could see his legs dangling out from beneath its hand. They could hear Joey's cadet comrades calling out to him in panic, and Atem lurched forwards, slicing at the titan's fingers to set Joey free, before he could be crushed between their grip. Two of its fingers were completely cut off, but the titan swung it's arm back in an attempt to swat Atem away, and Joey slipped straight out of its hand, hurtling towards the ground. Yusei was there in an instant, swinging in and grabbing the blond under his arm as he maneuvered around the titan and up into the trees.

Atem was still flying around the titan trying to get a decent shot at its neck, but this one appeared to be slightly more intelligent than others, as it kept turning whenever he managed to get close. It swung a three fingered hand towards him once more, and he ducked out of the way, slashing his sword up its forearm in the process. Finally the back line arrived, and as Atem jumped up onto a tree branch, he called out to Zane, Jaden, Jack and Crow.

"I've got this one, go and help Joey!" he demanded. With a nod from the group, they moved through the trees over to where Yusei had Joey, and Duke and Tristan followed, admiring Atem's swift movements as he maneuvered around the titan. Yusei gave Joey over to the back line and told them to head east and wait for Seto's signal, before he turned to go and help out his comrade.

Atem was about to make his lethal strike, as he swung in with his swords raised, but he almost froze when he realised he had made almost a lethal mistake. Another titan was now on his right, only meters away from being within arms reach, and Atem had been so set on killing the titan in front of him he hadn't even noticed it. He instantly moved to swing over to the left, but the titan in front of him swung a three fingered hand out, and he went flying back into a tree with a pained grunt.

"Atem!" Yusei called out, gliding through the trees towards him. The 3 fingered titan turned and reached out for Yusei, and he ducked to the side and swung back around to aim for its neck. While Yusei was trying to dispatch the first titan, Atem was trying to regain his bearings after smacking his head against the tree, and he suddenly noticed another large arm reaching out to him. He tried to launch off of the tree to duck out of the way, but his foot caught on a smaller branch, causing his ankle to try and twist in a way that it was not supposed to.

After hearing the small crack and the pain that shot through his ankle, Atem knew that he would not be able to get away fast enough to avoid being grabbed by the titan. In the split second that he realised this, with his eyes wide, he called out to his friend.

"Yusei!"

The panicked voice reached the other man's ears instantly, and after slicing at the back of the other titan's neck, he launched himself over to his comrade. As soon as his eyes landed on Atem, the man was grabbed by the titan behind him, and Yusei hoped like hell that he hadn't been crushed within it's fingers. The titan then saw Yusei fast approaching it, and it drew it's hand back, still grasping Atem tightly, who was desperately trying to slice away at its flesh with the one free hand he had, but his sword had been blunt and he couldn't replace it. The frantic look in his friend's eyes would have been enough to turn Yusei to a pile of pathetic mush, thus he couldn't imagine what he would do if Atem was eaten.

Yusei narrowed his eyes as he weaved around the titan, "Give him back!" he demanded, raising his sword defiantly in the air. The titan shrieked in response, and Yusei swung up around to its neck, trying to strike at its flesh, but the titan snapped at him with its teeth. Yusei regrettably spun back and hit the tree behind him with a grunt, before launching off of it once more, blind determination blazing in his eyes as he went to strike at the titan once more. With a cry of rage, he tore away the flesh at the back of the titan's neck, and with a loud shriek, it fell to the ground.

Yusei kept his eyes on the hand grasping his friend as the titan fell, and he watched as it's arm hit the ground, and fingers uncurled, revealing the man it had been trapping. He called out Atem's name as he soared towards the ground, gracefully landing on his feet and running over to the titan's body.

"Atem!"

The man in question was lying on his back within the titan's hand, starring up at the sky with glassy eyes. His blunt swords were lying loosely in his hands, and for a moment Yusei almost thought the worst. His heart thumped hard in his chest, but Atem turned to look at him when he ran over, and he sighed with relief.

"Atem," he said, breathing heavily as he slid his swords back into their places. "Are you alright?" he kneeled down beside his friend, who didn't even bother to give him a half hearted smile like he usually did.

"That could have been it," he murmured. "One stupid mistake and that could have been the end of me."

There was no doubt that all the men in their squad had faced death before and come to their own conclusions for how they feel about the subject, but since Atem had faced the fact that he would one day die outside the walls, he had found a few things that now stood between his no fear of death. One of them was now kneeling beside him, his eyebrows furrowed in worry.

"That doesn't matter," Yusei replied, "The important thing is that you're still here. You'll just have to be more careful next time."

"If there even is a next time," Atem muttered.

Yusei let out a frustrated noise as he grabbed Atem's shoulders and pulled him into a sitting position, "Don't say that you idiot. You're one of the best fighters in this squad and it's going to stay that way. Alright?"

Atem finally sighed and gave Yusei a small smile. "Of course. Thanks for putting up with me."

Yusei chuckled as he stood up once more, holding a hand out to Atem, "I've had to put up with you since cadets, I'm quite used to it," he joked. "Now let's get out of here before any more titans show up." Atem nodded, accepting Yusei's outstretched hand, but as soon as he put his right foot firm on the ground, already half way into a standing position, he winced and his eyes shot wide.

Yusei instantly grabbed Atem's upper arm to steady him, "What is it?" he asked.

"Ankle," he choked, pulling back from Yusei so he could sit down once more, "My ankle." He plopped back down on the deceased titan's hand with a sigh, he had hoped that his injury wasn't that bad, but it appeared not. "I tried to push off a tree and my foot got caught, that's when this guy got me," he jerked a thumb over his shoulder to the body behind him, slowly vaporising into the air.

"That's not good," Yusei said, "We should go meet up with the squad and then we'll take a look at it."

Atem nodded, "Alright, but I'll probably be much slower than usual," he joked. Yusei smiled, before they heard a loud rhythmic pounding in the distance. Atem let out a frustrated noise, "You've got to be kidding me."

"Another titan," Yusei noted, "New plan, I'm gonna carry you," he said, holding his hand out to Atem once more.

"What?" Atem suddenly answered, "Are you kidding?"

"Not at all," Yusei replied, "Now hurry up cause I'm not riding alone on our next mission." Atem looked behind him to where he could see the seven metre class barging towards them, before sighing and grabbing Yusei's hand, supporting himself on his left foot, before he jumped onto the other man's back, securely wrapping his arms around Yusei's shoulders.

"Geez, you're heavier than I thought," Yusei grunted as he pulled his swords out once more.

"I can still move on my own," Atem added, still trying to get Yusei to reconsider, "I don't want to be the reason you die." They could hear the titan screeching with delight as it ran towards them, and Yusei's response was to pat Atem's arm where it sat across his chest.

"And I'm not going to let _you_ die, either," he replied, before running up and launching into the air. He had to admit, it was a bit of a struggle moving around with double the weight, but there was no way he was going to let Atem try to maneuver on his own, for he would be much too slow and get eaten for sure. The titan screeched in fury as Yusei and Atem began to glide out of reach, and it dived forwards in an attempt to chomp at them with its teeth.

Caught by surprise at the titan's attack, Yusei tried to dodge out of the way, but of course he was much slower and less mobile with Atem on his back. He tried to jerk to the side to avoid getting his leg bitten off, but in doing so, they veered straight into a tree. The force of the impact caused Atem to lose his grip on Yusei's shoulders, and he slipped from the man's back, plummeting towards the ground.

"Atem!" Yusei called out in panic, before the titan was suddenly chomping at Yusei again, and he dived out of the way, only just escaping its teeth. Atem managed to use his own maneuver gear to stop himself from hitting the ground, and he swung back up to a tree, hooking into the bark while trying to balance on his left foot. If he was going to be of any help to Yusei he needed to switch to blades that weren't blunt. He quickly discarded his swords before attaching on new ones, and he carefully jumped off of the tree to help his comrade. Yusei was currently slicing up the flesh on the titan's arm, before he launched himself around its back and he drove his swords into the flesh at the back of its neck. The titan instantly fell to the ground, and Yusei swung up onto a tree branch, before turning back to see if Atem was okay. The injured man had been swiftly moving between the trees towards Yusei, when his comrade had turned around and shouted to him.

"Behind you!" Yusei yelled in panic, and Atem's route through the trees was suddenly cut short. A titan had approached him from behind and grabbed onto the wire instead of him. Atem gasped in shock as he was pulled back, and he could do nothing to pull out of the way as the titan still had a tight hold on his wire. Yusei instantly jumped down from the tree towards his friend as Atem was thrown onto the ground. He skidded across the rocks, and his maneuver gear unclipped from his waist, before he finally rolled to a stop at the base of a tree. The titan began to run towards him, eager to pick him up and swallow him whole, but Yusei wasn't going to let that happen. The man in the air was much faster than the five metre class titan, and he landed on the ground in front of Atem, who hadn't moved since he hit the tree.

Yusei raised his swords as the titan approached them, "Over my dead body," he snarled. He then launched himself forwards, and threw his swords straight at the titan, successfully blinding it as they flew straight into its eyes. The titan screeched as he pulled out two new blades, and easily sliced the skin at the back of its neck, killing the titan immediately. Breathing heavily from exhaustion, Yusei sighed with relief when he saw no more titans approaching, and he landed on the ground with a hard thud, meters away from Atem's unmoving body.

"Atem!" He rushed over to the man who was lying on his stomach, and his face paled when he saw the blood covering the ground where he had skidded. "Atem," he begged, kneeling beside him, "Talk to me buddy." He carefully rolled his friend over. His shirt was torn, and there was blood smeared across his face from a cut on the side of his cheek. Other than that though, there were no other visible signs of injury. Atem grunted in pain and opened his eyes to see Yusei leaning over him, looking much more pale than usual.

"I'm O-," he choked on his own words when he breathed in the dirt that was sticking to his face, and he went into a fit of coughing to try and expel it from his throat. Yusei held a steady hand on his back as Atem shot up into a sitting position. "I'm alright," he finally got out once he had finished, wiping his face with his jacket sleeve.

"Your gear-"

"Unclipped like it was supposed to," Atem finished.

"That's it, we're getting you out of here," Yusei said, hooking an arm around Atem's waist and instantly launching into the air, using his maneuver gear to pull them both up high into the trees. He landed on a wide branch, and sat Atem against the tree trunk, finally glad that they could relax for a moment without being ambushed by titans.

Atem rested his head against the tree trunk, not bothering to wipe away the blood that was still seeping from the cut on his cheek. "I'm sorry, Yusei," he murmured.

The other man looked over at Atem, surprised by his words, "What?" He asked, still trying to regain his breath.

"For being such a burden," Atem replied, idly looking down at his injured ankle. "You were always the better fighter," he added, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes. Yusei instantly remembered their days in training back at cadets, and he couldn't help the small smile that appeared on his face.

_Atem had his sights set on one of the titan figures, as it rolled around on its tracks, revealing the padding at the back of its neck. He grinned as he glided through the air, ready to strike, but a figure lurched out in front of him, slashing at the fake titan right in front of him. He stared with wide eyes at the person who must have been following him, amazed that he didn't realise them sneak up behind him. He groaned and slashed at the titan's neck right next to where the stranger had, landing on the ground after he had done so. _

_"That was my kill," Atem grumbled, placing his swords back in their place. _

_The dark haired stranger chuckled, "Atem Sennen, I'd heard that you were smart, but I never knew you were this useful," he joked. "But too slow," he shrugged, walking over to Atem and ruffling his hair. Atem batted his hand away and he just laughed as he continued to walk. _

_"Who are you anyway?" Atem demanded, turning around. _

_The stranger stopped for a moment, before saying over his shoulder, "Yusei Fudo. If you want better marks when you graduate, you might want to consider following me next time," and without another word, he disappeared into the trees. _

"That may be true," Yusei said, kneeling down in front of Atem, "That I was a better fighter back then, but you're so much stronger than you used to be. Remember our last mission?" he asked, placing a hand on Atem's shoulder. Atem distinctly remembered their last mission. Jaden had gotten too ambitious and tried to take on two seven metre class titans at once, and seems Zane was busy trying to avoid getting eaten himself, Atem had jumped in and killed them both. Seto even mentioned later that that was one of the reasons why Atem always rode right behind him on their missions, because he was a strong and valuable member of their squad. He had even come up with a brilliant strategy when they had to lure a group of titans away from Jack and Crow, who had run out of gas. But the way it had always been between him and Yusei, was that he was the brains and Yusei was the braun. He had to admit though, his head had gotten them out of quite a few tight spots in the past.

Atem nodded in reply, "I guess I have my moments," he murmured. "It's just easy for me to think I'm sometimes more use if I don't come along on these missions."

Yusei shook his head, pulling his arm back to his side, "Where the hell would I be if you weren't here? Dead, that's what." It was blunt, but very true. "I don't know what I would do without you," he admitted.

Atem laughed for a moment, "You'd be fine, I'm easily replaceable," he shrugged. But before Yusei could retort a reply, Atem continued. "The only problem is, I'm not as keen on the idea as I used to be."

Yusei raised an eyebrow, "What are you talking about?"

Atem sighed, "When I decided to join the Recon Corps, I came to the conclusion that I didn't care if I died outside the walls, as long as I was somewhat useful to man kind. Recently though...I've..." _why am I suddenly saying this? _"I don't want to die anymore. I finally have something to fight for." _Or some_one_ to fight for. _

Yusei understood all too well what Atem was saying. He knew that during the fall of wall Maria, Atem had lost his family, and therefore it was easy for him to give up his life for the greater good. For Yusei, it had been a little harder to come to terms with. He still had a family back within the walls, but he also had friends just as close out on the missions with him, that he was willing to die for. The top priority to Yusei however, was sitting right in front of him.

_The 94th graduating class from the cadets all gathered in the courtyard, as torches lined the outside, illuminating the square. It was here that everyone would choose which branch of the military they would go to, and for most of the graduates, it was either the Garrison or Recon Corps. Only the top 10 ranking soldiers would be able to choose the Military Police, which seemed like such a terrible contradiction. Training so hard at killing titans only so that they could hide behind the inner walls. It was a shame that the best of the best were essentially no use to man kind, and Yusei couldn't help but snort in annoyance at the small group of people who had been named the best. He and Atem had fallen short of gaining the highest ranks, but it didn't overly matter to them, for they had no desire to join the Military Police. The difficult decision was however, whether to put their lives on the line outside the walls or not. _

_"So many soldiers," Yusei hummed to himself, looking around at the group of people. He then turned to the man next to him, "How many do you think will have the guts to join the Recon Corps?" _

_Atem had his arms crossed as he looked down at the ground, something he commonly did when he was stressed or deep in thought. Yusei assumed it was both. He lifted his head to look around at the group of people in front of them. "There's only a small handful who do each year," he replied. "Their numbers are depleting as it is." _

_"Going out on missions and only returning with a percentage of soldiers," Yusei nodded. "I wonder what it takes to be able to just give up your life for such a cause?" He then thought for a moment. "I guess there are those who have seen the devastation the titans have caused, who are willing to put up their lives so that others may not suffer the same." He hummed to himself, still unsure of what to do. "What do you think?" he turned back to Atem once more, who suddenly had an air of purpose about him. He no longer looked burdened by the weight of a big decision, and Yusei was afraid he'd said something wrong. _

_"I'm joining the Recon Corps," he said with finality, moving forwards to stand with the group of people in the middle of the courtyard. _

_Yusei's eyes shot wide, "Atem-" he grabbed the man's shoulder, wondering what had caused such a sudden decision. _

_"Most people are afraid of leaving the walls because of the people they will leave behind. I have nobody to leave behind. My life isn't worth wasting inside these walls." _

_He certainly had a good point, Yusei thought, as he watched his friend move to stand in the rows of soldiers gathering in the square. He could only stand back and stare. Atem may have nobody to leave behind, but he had a whole family who were counting on him to be a hero. But what would make him a hero in their eyes? In his own eyes? If he joined the Garrison, he'd be just like every other simple soldier. Too afraid to go outside the walls, not good enough for the Military Police. Yusei stared over at Atem as he stood with the other graduates. If asked to, could he put up his beating heart for humanity? _

_It was then that he realised, sometimes the heroes don't get recognition for the deeds they do. And sometimes all it takes is a bit of guts and the want for change to be considered a hero. Yusei sighed, he wasn't sure if he was going to regret this or not. He walked over to stand next to Atem, having now made his decision. _

_"I'll watch your back if you watch mine," he murmured. _

_Atem smiled, "Glad to see you want to stay with me. You've got a deal."_

Yusei snapped back to reality, having momentarily been lost in his thoughts, reminiscing of the old days.

He turned to Atem once more, "Then embrace it," he replied, "Whatever that is, whatever you're fighting for is all the more reason to keep going. That's just like we said back when we decided to join the Recon Corps, we always have each other's backs. I'd sooner die than let you down any other way."

Atem gave him a grateful smile. "I guess I just fear that I'm going to let _you_ down one day." He then let out a dry laugh, "Sometimes I worry that you'll get another partner to fight with." He looked to the side, watching stray leaves cascade down towards the ground.

Yusei almost choked on his own saliva at Atem's words. "Are you kidding me?" Was his response, "You could accidentally cut off my arm and I'd still want to fight with you." Atem raised an eyebrow, silently questioning him. Yusei was dumbfounded. "You really don't get it, do you?" he asked. Atem was still staring at him blankly, and Yusei was almost left speechless. "All the hints I've left, everything I've done for you-" he had given up on being subtle about it all and was now just laying it all out in front of Atem. For such a smart man he seemed to be pretty thick sometimes. "The reason why you are always the first person I find when all hell breaks loose?" He couldn't believe that all of this had gone unnoticed. No wonder Atem was thinking such ridiculous thoughts, so Yusei didn't care anymore.

"Atem, I love you," he blurted.

The injured man stared at him for a moment, "I knew that already," he said, and for a split second, Yusei actually believed him. "You've said it before, you love everyone in our squad."

Yusei then did the biggest face palm in all of existence. "No, you idiot!" He had had enough, and if one thing could convince Atem of what he meant, his next move certainly would. Without a second thought, Yusei grabbed Atem's face in his hands and kissed him.

The other man seemed to completely freeze under Yusei's touch, and he instantly regretted his decision. Feeling completely idiotic and with a face as red as a tomato, Yusei jerked back, suddenly having lost all of his composure. "I'm sorry-I just-well-you didn't-" he stumbled over 4 sentences at once, and was almost going to think of an excuse to jump off the tree branch. He wasn't able to finish his jumbled mess of words however, because Atem had recovered from his shock and grabbed Yusei's jacket, connecting their lips once more.

Nothing, not the sound of titans clawing at the bottom of the tree, or their comrades swinging through the trees looking for them, could have stopped Yusei and Atem from enjoyig this moment. Luckily for them, there were no disturbances, as Yusei snaked an arm around Atem's waist, his head still spinning in amazement.

Atem's heart was pounding in his chest as he pulled Yusei closer, their lips moving in a way he had only ever dreamed of. He felt like a downright idiot for thinking that everything Yusei did for him was completely platonic. But it was easy to push those thoughts aside as Yusei brought Atem's bottom lip between his teeth. The injured man let out the quietest of moans, before crashing their lips together once more, this time with more fervor. Yusei was sure that his knees wouldn't be able to support him for much longer, and he tried to shift his position while not breaking their kiss.

Atem suddenly let out a surprised gasp, and Yusei's eyes shot wide as he realised he'd just pushed against Atem's injured foot. "Oh my god I am so sorry-" he began to apologise as Atem clenched his teeth together, pretending it didn't hurt.

"No, it's okay," the other man assured him with an easy smile, before they simply sat and stared at each other for a moment. What had started out as a terrible mission for Atem, had ended as a brilliant one. Granted that was if they made it back home, but they were usually pretty good at that, considering they were still alive.

"Yusei," Atem murmured.

"Yes?"

Atem now had no problem in saying what he had left out before. "You want to know what it is I fight for?" he asked, as Yusei sat down in front of him to give his knees a break.

Yusei had a soft smile on his face, "What is it?"

Atem was reaching for the other man's hand, and as soon as Yusei realised what he was doing, he allowed their fingers to intertwine. "It's you," Atem murmured. "You're the reason I don't want to die out here."

Yusei smiled, and had to take a moment to breathe, for the warm feeling in his chest was almost smothering his ability to speak. "As long as I'm with you, I won't let that happen," he assured the man. Atem smiled, before they grasped each other in a warm hug.

Yusei sighed happily as he rested his head on Atem's shoulder, not caring that there would now be blood on the shoulder of his jacket. "You're not going to die today, or any other day."


End file.
